Spy Myung Wol Episode 6 Recap

Two big things happened in this episode. The first is that Kang Woo finally smiled, and it was a big beatific smile. The second is that he did something really bad. This is surely going to be a controversial episode of Spy Myung Wol. Actually, let be me more specific, the ending scene of episode 6 will absolutely be controversial. But everything up to that point was classic SMW – Myung Wol feeling the faint stirrings of feeling towards Kang Woo, and Kang Woo being oddly amused and curious by Myung Wol at every juncture. Plus – we get the first scandal of the drama, which frankly I was expecting since we have a Hallyu superstar involved.

I like how Myung Wol is genuinely on a mission and single-minded in her pursuit. It’s amusing to watch her flustered and trying to maintain her composure. It’s funny that while Kang Woo thinks Myung Wol loves him when in truth she wants to capture him for North Korea, but in fact she’s slowly turning his perception into her reality. As for Kang Woo, he’s still a cipher, so I feel like I’m watching Eric all the time, and man is Eric delicious to look at. The drama script and execution still has huge problems, but I’ve gotten used to it at this point.

Episode 6 recap:

Myung Wol stands up and holds her chest, loudly exclaiming that she feels it. She feels the sexual energy bubbling up inside of her. She sits down with Ok Soon and Hee Bok and explains that she feels the desire to make that man hers. She thinks about him, and the feeling wells up inside of her, almost like a signal beacon.

Hee Bok and Ok Soon are silent and look at each other. They quietly ask if she’s falling for Kang Woo for real? They worry it will cause problems. They just wanted Myung Wol to open her heart to desiring him, not for her to actually fall in love with him. The North Koreans and their limited emotional range is pretty darn funny.

Myung Wol laughs and says no way. Ok Soon breathes a sigh of relief and says in their profession, no spy who has fallen in love has ever succeeded in the mission. They discuss Mara Hari, the famous spy executed for being a traitor between Germany and France, because she fell in love with a Russian officer. Ok Soon warns Myung Wol never to fall in love. Myung Wol tells them not to worry, her heart beats only for her mission.

Myung Wol walks and thinks back to what Ok Soon says (that heart beating fast may mean she’s falling in love with Kang Woo) and pooh poohs it. When she first started beating up the enemy, her heart would beat fast as well. Hahaha, Myung Wol has the same reaction to falling in love and vanquishing her enemies.

She runs into Kang Woo in the lobby of the hotel. She quickly runs away because her heart starts pumping. I love how everything with Myung Wol is fight or flight, like she’s all instinct without any emotional reserve. She tells herself to be calm, that happened because she wasn’t expecting to run into him. Choi Ryu watches Myung Wol and thinks back to Myung Wol confirming that she feels something for Kang Woo.

In Ah looks at the pictures of Kang Woo piggybacking Myung Wol. She wants to call someone but decides not to be so sensitive. She flops on the bed in annoyance, telling herself that Myung Wol is such a nuisance.

Kang Woo leaves the resort after a successful press conference. The Chairman says In Ah left early today in a bad mood. He thinks she is too emotional and perhaps not giving her emotions to the right person. Kang Woo replies that it’s fine, he gives his feelings to someone suitable for him.

Agent Kyung thanks the Chairman for helping make this a success. Agent Kyung wants to sit up front and tells Myung Wol to sit in the back with Kang Woo. The Chairman watches Kang Woo leave and mutters that he’s an arrogant guy.

Myung Wol sits in the living room drinking a glass of milk and telling herself to be clear headed. Kang Woo is a South Korean hero (love how she equates being celebrity with being a national hero) and capable of affecting people’s emotions, so she shouldn’t be so easily moved. Kang Woo sits down and Myung Wol scoots over. He asks her if she’s contagious?

Kang Woo changes the channel which suddenly flashes to a drama with a kissing scene. She turns it off and Kang Woo complains that he was watching. Myung Wol runs away. Kang Woo complains to Dae Kang that Myung Wol is ignoring him and treating him like a pesky fly since returning from the resort.

Dae Kang asks if something happened at the resort? Dae Kang asks if they really….did it!?! Kang Woo says of course not. Dae Kang says the way Kang Woo looks at Myung Wol, of course nothing could happen between them. Kang Woo gets upset and asks what Dae Kang means by that? Dae Kang says Kang Woo looks at Myung Wol with annoyance and a dismissive attitude, so clearly he doesn’t like her.

Kang Woo treats Myung Wol like she’s a crazy person. But Myung Wol saved Kang Woo’s life yet Kang Woo is hurting Myung Wol by treating her this way, it even hurts for Dae Kang to see. Kang Woo really gets angry now and tells Dae Kang to go do his work and prepare tomorrow’s schedule.

Kang Woo thinks about what Dae Kang said, that Myung Wol is mad at him. He thinks about how poorly he reacted to Myung Wol’s seduction and birthday celebration, and recalls Myung Wol drunkenly muttering that she loves him. He wonders if perhaps he’s been treating her too poorly.

Hee Bok and Myung Wol are trying to coax Ok Soon out of packing up and leaving the Team. Ok Soon is incensed that her male seduction skills are being called into question by Hee Bok, since she was the great spy nicknamed The Tuberose (a flower famous for being fragrant at night). Ok Soon apologizes to Myung Wol for leaving her to do this mission alone. She hands Myung Wol an old DVD that she watched many times when she was young and doing her missions.

Choi Ryu arrives and Hee Bok asks him to stop Ok Soon from leaving. Ok Soon says she’s used up all her ideas, so there is no reason to stay. Choi Ryu says she needs to stay. If this mission fails, everyone involved will die. So the four of them are on the same boat now. Myung Wol walks home and thinks about Choi Ryu’s ominous words.

Kang Woo asks Myung Wol where she went? She reminds herself to be alert, all her comrades lives are in danger because of her. She politely responds to Kang Woo, and is excited that her heart doesn’t beat faster around him anymore. Kang Woo stops her and asks if she changed lipsticks. He says it looks pretty on her. Myung Wol stares at him and then runs away. It’s clear her heart started beating faster. Kang Woo doesn’t know what’s wrong since he was just trying to be nicer to her.

Myung Wol lays down in bed and wonders why her heart started beating fast again. She starts doing sit ups in bed and reciting the code of being of North Korea soldier. Myung Wol guards Kang Woo as he attends a fan signing event. Kang Woo waves to Myung Wol and she gets frazzled and puts on sunglasses to avoid looking at him.

Myung Wol gets out of the van carrying bags for Kang Woo. He offers to carry some, grabbing her hand to get some bags. She drops all the bags in her discomfort. While eating, Kang Woo gives her his waffle and tells her to eat more. He smiles widely at her and in response she spits her water out at him.

Myung Wol wonders what’s gotten into her lately. Perhaps she’s dying, and when people die they behave oddly. Kang Woo comes into the kitchen and she drops the water glass and shatters it. Both kneel down to clean up. Myung Wol asks why Kang Woo is so nice to her lately. She broke an expensive glass, shouldn’t he lose his temper at her?

She leaves and Kang Woo mutters why she’s behaving this way when he’s being extra nice to her. Shouldn’t she be crying tears of happiness that Hallyu star Kang Woo is so nice to her? Myung Wol sits in her room and reads the North Korean regulations again, reminding herself that betraying her country means her entire family will be eliminated. She starts imagining Kang Woo taking a shower and she has to shake her head to clear her mind.

Hee Bok sits down with Ok Soon on the roof and asks what she’s thinking about. She wonders how her parents are in North Korea, and asks about his. Hee Bok says her parents should be fine. He only had a mom left, and recently got news that she passed away. He cries that he hasn’t even been to her grave.

Ok Soon puts her hand over his and tells him it’ll be fine. He cries that if this mission is successful they can finally go home. Hee Bok grabs Ok Soon for a hug, but she pushes him off, chiding him for taking advantage any chance he gets. Hee Bok cries that a man in pain just needs a warm body for comfort. He sobs for his dead mom.

Choi Ryu overhears Chairman Joo discussing moving the items in the secret safe. He goes to open the safe and sees the books in it. He walks out of the secret room and is confronted by the Chairman. He pretends that he was just looking for the Chairman. The Chairman orders the safe opened to see if Choi Ryu was trying to steal the books. The safe is opened and the books are all still inside and untouched.

The Chairman apologizes to Choi Ryu for doubting him. He doesn’t trust anyone. He promises to show Choi Ryu the books, and he hands one to him. The Chairman asks if he likes it? The Chairman likes that book way too much. Choi Ryu goes back to his room and takes out the real book, since he in fact switched the books when he first opened the safe. The Chairman tells his lackey to check Choi Ryu’s background thoroughly.

Kang Woo tells Dae Kang that he tried being nice to Myung Wol but she’s still acting weird. Dae Kang says the best way is to hug her tightly, all woman love that rather than a hundred nice words. Myung Wol comes down and Kang Woo puts his arm around her to encourage her. Myung Wol flips him over her back. Kang Woo gets up and yells that he’s through with it. Myung Wol thinks about all the nice things Kang Woo has being doing for her lately.

Kang Woo and In Ah are giving an interview for Assassin. Kang Woo is asked what his real father is like, since his character is a father who becomes an assassin in the drama to earn money for his son’s surgery. Kang Woo says his real father was a good man, a well-respected doctor. Kang Woo goes home and takes out the baseball and looks at it. Myung Wol peeks at him, wondering why he’s been so down all day.

Myung Wol takes out the DVD given to her by Ok Soon and watches it. It’s an old Korean movie and the leads frolic on the beach. Myung Wol imagines herself running on the beach and Kang Woo chasing her. She wakes up from this dream and says she’s crazy and needs to wake up from this madness.

Dae Kang arrives looking for Kang Woo. No one can find him and he’s a no-show for filming. In Ah says the filming should be canceled today then. Agent Kyung says Kang Woo likely went up the mountains, where he goes when he’s frustrated. Suddenly thunder sounds in the sky and Dae Kang worries about Kang Woo going up the mountain on a bad weather day like this. Myung Wol offers to go find Kang Woo. Choi Ryu overhears this.

Kang Woo is hiking when it starts to rain. Choi Ryu drives to the mountain with Hee Bok and Ok Soon in tow. She wonders if Myung Wol likes Kang Woo, but Hee Bok says she’s going as his bodyguard. Choi Ryu says Myung Wol will likely find him, since this type of assignment is what she is good at. Myung Wol makes marks on the map and takes off after Kang Woo.

Kang Woo descends down a slope when he slips and tumbles, injuring his ankle. Myung Wol finds an injured Kang Woo. Choi Ryu parks as they wait for Myung Wol to return with Kang Woo. The radio reports how the rains are so heavy it might cause mud slides. Choi Ryu gets out of the car, in his suit, and races up the mountain.

Myung Wol assists Kang Woo as they try to make it down the mountain. He asks if she came because she was worried about him? She says of course, if something happened to him she would get fired. In Ah finds out from her assistant that Kang Woo isn’t back yet, and Myung Wol went to find him. Agent Kyung and Dae Kang are still worried since they haven’t heard anything yet. The rescue crews can’t go up in the dark.

Choi Ryu is silently walking through the mountain looking for Myung Wol. We know he’s serious because he takes off his tie. Heh. Myung Wol sets Kang Woo down as they need to make camp here tonight and wait for morning to head down the mountain. She tends to his wound using a poultice she made mashing up some leaves that help stop bleeding.

She applies it and Kang Woo murmurs in pain. She tells him to stop exaggerating. She asks for his cell phone and sends an international SOS signal. He asks why she knows so much, and she says she hid in the mountains for two weeks so she knows all this. He looks stunned and she says she hid in the mountains because she was hiding from her mom for not doing her homework.

Kang Woo tries to be a man and start a fire, but of course he sucks and can’t. Myung Wol finally can’t stand it and takes the stick from him. She quickly starts a fire. Kang Woo looks confused again and asks who she is really? He asks if she’s a girl scout by training? Myung Wol smiles because Kang Woo is ever so dense.

In Ah wants to go up the mountain to look for Kang Woo. Her assistant reminds her that there are tons of mosquitoes up there at night. In Ah stops and reconsiders. Myung Wol and Kang Woo sit by the fire and hear wolves braying. Myung Wol stands up and offers to go find food.

Kang Woo doesn’t want to get left behind and asks to go with her. He says he doesn’t want a girl to go alone, but she calls him on being afraid to be left here alone. Myung Wol takes some soot and applies it on her face. He asks what she is doing and she says she’s used to doing it when in the mountains to avoid detection. She applies some on Kang Woo’s face.

They head to look for food, and she has to remind him to be quiet up here. Myung Wol climbs up and find a birds nest with some eggs. Kang Woo watches her and wonders where and how she grew up since she can do so much. As Myung Wol is heading down, it’s her turn to slip on the incline. Kang Woo rushes forward and catches her. Myung Wol quickly gets up and says their mission is complete.

Choi Ryu keeps looking for Myung Wol, muttering to himself “Han Myung Wol, where are you?” Myung Wol crouches in front of the fire cooking the food. She offers it to Kang Woo, saying it’s not much, but is rich in nutrients. Kang Woo declines since he only eats specialty foods prepared by a top chef. But his stomach grumbles and he has to pretend it’s some other noise.

Myung Wol offers him the food again and this time he opens his mouth and eats it from her hand. He says this tastes better than the potatoes of last time. He asks who taught her all this, and she says she learned from her father all the mountain survival skills. Kang Woo asks why a girl needs to learn this? Myung Wol says her dad told her one day it will come in handy.

Her dad taught her that a gun isn’t just a weapon. It can be used as poison (to kill) or medicine (to save). Everything is up the a person’s heart. Kang Woo asks if Myung Wol’s dad was a soldier? She says yes. Kang Woo says he doesn’t look like one, remembering the bumbling Hee Bok. Myung Wol says her real dad, who has already passed away, just like Kang Woo’s dad.

Kang Woo confesses that this place is where he scattered his dad’s ashes. His mom died when he was young so it was just him and his dad. His dad worked all the time so he never even celebrated Kang Woo’s birthdays. All Kang Woo wanted was to celebrate his birthday with his dad and play ball. Myung Wol listens and then promptly falls asleep. Kang Woo takes off his jacket and covers Myung Wol.

Kang Woo keeps talking about his 10th birthday, and he’s not sure why he begged his father to bring him here. And if his father hadn’t agreed, or if Kang Woo hadn’t thrown the ball so far, then his father would still be alive today.

Myung Wol wakes up and goes to find Kang Woo. He’s standing there taking pictures on his cell phone of her. He says she looks totally funny right now and he wants to keep these pictures to laugh at her anytime he wants. Myung Wol grabs the cell phone out of his hand and takes off running.

They chase each other while laughing and giggling. Suddenly Choi Ryu walks out of bushes. Um, okay. Myung Wol loses her smile. In Ah is rushing to head up the mountains when she gets news that Kang Woo has been located. Myung Wol was also located, and it looks like they spent the night up in the mountains.

Kang Woo gets his ankle checked out and is told he needs to rest for a few days. He asks about Myung Wol and is told that In Ah’s bodyguard drove her home. In fact, it appears that the two bodyguards know each other. Kang Woo looks pensive, remembering the look Choi Ryu gave Myung Wol when he found them on the mountain.

Choi Ryu asks Myung Wol if she’s forgotten her mission? She says she hasn’t. Choi Ryu reminds her that only by succeeding will she be forgiven for coming to South Korea without permission. Plus her comrades life rests in her hands now. Hee Bok and Ok Soon come running out worried about Myung Wol, asking if she’s fine.

Kang Woo comes home to find In Ah waiting for him. She says that she was so worried about him. He asks how she got inside. She back hugs him and says that she knows how much he means to her now. He says he needs to get some rest. Kang Woo goes upstairs and flips through his phone, looking at pictures he snapped of Myung Wol on the mountain and smiling.

In Ah grabs the phone and sees the pictures. She goes home and grabs the piggybacking pictures of Myung Wol and Kang Woo, saying that she will no longer endure this any longer. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but I hate to even use such a pithy saying on a waste of space like In Ah.

Myung Wol thinks about her time with Kang Woo in the mountains, juxtaposed with Choi Ryu’s reminder about her assignment. She borrows the DVD for Mata Hari and watches it. Myung Wol starts to cry as Mata Hari says goodbye to her lover and is led away to be executed. She wonders why this movie is so damn sad.

The next morning the newspapers carry the scandal about Kang Woo piggybacking his bodyguard. Ok Soon and Hee Bok are so pleased with this latest development, as is General Kim in North Korea. General Kim gets a call from his superior and confirms that the plan is going swimmingly. He says he doesn’t need a month, this project will be completed in one week at this rate.

Agent Yoo at the NSA reads the newspaper and wonders who the man in the car was that Kang Woo’s secret girlfriend was hugging. Director Yoo asks for an update on Kang Woo. He tells the team to stop investigating Kang Woo anymore, to stop using her imagination and implicating innocent people. Agent Yoo looks upset to have her hunch thwarted.

Kang Woo arrives at the television studio and is promptly surrounded by the media. Agent Kyung asks Kang Woo what to do now that the media is all over this. Both of them know this isn’t the truth. Agent Kyung asks how a careful person like Kang Woo could make such a mistake. She tells Kang Woo to quickly eliminate the problem. Kang Woo sighs, reminding Agent Kyung that Myung Wol saved his life. Yeah, dude, many times in fact.

Agent Kyung wonders why Kang Woo is hesitating over firing one person. Dae Kang informs them that Singapore is calling asking about the scandal. Agent Kyung reminds Kang Woo how hard he worked to get here, and how quickly he can lose it all in one instant. Kang Woo takes a deep breath.

Myung Wol arrives at the studio and sees fan girls outside. In Ah confronts Myung Wol and wonders how she dares to show her face her today. In Ah accuses Myung Wol of trying to change her life by landing Kang Woo. Myung Wol tells In Ah to just live her own life properly. In Ah grabs Myung Wol, who shakes her off. In Ah falls to the ground and pretends to be all aggrieved.

The fan girls rush inside and accuse her of striking In Ah. They pull at Myung Wol and toss eggs at her. Kang Woo arrives and everyone parts for him to approach Myung Wol. Kang Woo walks up to Myung Wol and slaps her hard across the face. Everyone watching gasps at the sudden violence of it all. He takes off his sunglasses and tells her that she’s fired.

Thoughts of Mine:

Don’t ask me to take a side in the “should a man slap a woman” debate – my position is purely that no human being should ever physically hurt another, period, the gender involved doesn’t make it better or worse for me. Drama-wise, slapping is so common place that it’s like the piggyback ride. However, it’s almost always woman-woman or man-man, and occasionally woman-man, so perhaps it’s truly disconcerting to see Kang Woo slap Myung Wol. Directly, and in public no less.

Either you accept this drama narrative or you don’t. I can’t say finding out that Kang Woo had some sort of protect-Myung-Wol motivation would negate his action if I find it reprehensible to begin with. In drama land, we see ladies kneeing guys in the groin all the time for yuks and laughter purposes, so I suggest this slap be taken in the context of the drama and allowed and discussed in the greater context of whether it moves the story forward in consistent and logical ways.

I like how Myung Wol and Kang Woo are slowly revealing private things about each other as they spend time together. It’s obvious now that they are slowly and surely falling for each other, but in very cautious and oblique ways. Choi Ryu also likes Myung Wol, of course, and what might prompt him to pursue her might be out of duty rather than personal gain. He can’t have Myung Wol fall for Kang Woo and risk jeopardizing the mission, so he’ll try to make Myung Wol fall for himself.

The elder spies are still so winning a duo, and I love Ok Soon’s spy sensibilities paired with Hee Bok’s bumbling elder statesman ways. I appreciate how the drama tries to explain North Korean sentiments for why they serve their country, and touch upon a little of their sacrifices to be away from family and homeland. SMW still confuses me as a drama, in terms of how the plot will continue to unfold, and how best to approach it as a viewer. I’ve settled on wry amusement at this point, and that leaves me able to just enjoy an episode without getting too worked up about anything.

Ouch. So the slap has to be the last part of this episode, eh? And no, I’m not going to scrutinize the drama about the slap thingy… I’m just sad cause I will still have to wait for a week before the resolution of this. *pouts*

So far I like how things are going… I like how the two leads are slowly falling for each other. It also hurts me that Choi Ryu is also becoming aware of his feelings for Myung Wol… or has it always been there but he’s suppressing it?

*sigh* Can’t wait for the next episode. Thanks for the recap Koala! ^^

I loved this episode…up until the slap. I’m confused. Why? Shouldn’t he have given her the benefit of the doubt? Why is it that the leading men always suspect the leading lady of wrongdoing and never stop to think that maybe, just maybe it might be the other person who is trying to vie for his/her affections? No one deserves to be treated in such a physical, violent manner, especially man to woman. And even for a drama, this is totally uncalled for. I just hope that the drama explains why it had to go there. He would have had the same effect by using words instead of his hand against her cheek. Aaargh!

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I love the complicated relationship dynamics are beginning to unfold. MW and KW are beginning to have feelings for each other and CR, as much as he is trying to supress his feelings by keeping himself in denial, is beginning show signs that he does care for MW. I hope he softens up in the next couple of episodes and shows his true feelings. Now the KW has found out that both MW and CR know each other, perhaps the next stage in the plan is CR pursuing MW in order to make KW jealous and watching MW become conflicted between the two men? I hope that KW finds out in the next episode that MW had nothing to do with the piggy-back photo being leaked to the press and that it was IA’s doing; that KW sees MW and CR becoming closer and KW’s attempts in winning her back. Not sure what the writers have in mind for MW and what she’s going to be doing now that she’s been fired by KW. There really is no reason for her to stay near him unless she gets another gig that will allow her to still see him and “bump” into him.

Another week! I’m so totally hooked on this drama now. Thanks Koala for the speedy recap! I hope there’s a preview coming up in the next few days! 🙂

I’m not sure why you would think Kang Woo was mad at Myung Wol, or believes she leaked the photo. His conversation with Agent Kyung, neither was upset at Myung Wol or posited she leaked the photo. I don’t think either Kang Woo or Agent Kyung care who leaked the photo. I wouldn’t care – what matters now is what to do about it.

If you think Kang Woo slapped Myung Wol because he was angry at her, that’s completely the opposite of what I got from that slap. I think he slapped her to make a point for the fans that he’s not dating Myung Wol. Then he fired her. There was no emotion involved, i.e. he’s not upset at her or thinks she did anything wrong.

There might be more to it, but I don’t see any anger on his part for the slap, or any blame. He’s likely doing damage control very methodically. Whether he throws Myung Wol under the bus or tries to protect her, that remains to be seen.

@ockoala – I thought of that after I hit the submit button. I think I was upset with the fact that he actually hit her–and hard (and from my perspective, I did feel there was emotion from him in that slap, especially when he told her that she was fired)! Even if he knew she didn’t do it and was not angry with her, could he (or rather, the writers) have come up with an alternative solution for damage control that was less violent but still gets the point across?

Maybe because I’ve seen it happening too many times in other dramas where the leading lady is accused/misunderstood that I came to the hasty conclusion that KW was angry with her and blamed her and didn’t stop to consider that maybe he’s doing this for damage control (assuming that MW can handle it–after all, she is a strong woman). Now that’s she’s starting to fall for him, can we still assume that she can handle it, especially now that her emotions are going to affect her state of mind?

It’s funny how these K-dramas get your emotions all worked up. I agree with you–there’s more to it and of course, we have to wait another week to see how this is going to continue to play out and what KW’s motivations were for doing what he did.

I love reading the comments from your recaps; everyone has different opinions and points of view that from the perspective of being a reader, opens up the mind to all possibilities/considerations. It’s enjoyable to read and engaging. Thanks again for your hard work in getting these recaps out to us greedy Koala fans quickly! 🙂

From his convo with Agent Kung, there’s anguish & hesitation on his part when she told him to “eliminate the problem (a la Myungwol)” so my hunch is he did that to both protecting her from the crazy fangirls AND saving his career/image also.

I’m with you on this and hope that ep. 7 starts with him apologizing and explaining to her the why behind the slap. They are so cute together and although production felt there had to be a slap, if it’s not justified immediately, they just might have lost some viewers who are not as invested in KW & MW as we are.

I think that screaming at her and firing her would have done the job! I don’t see any necessity to give her a slap on the face!! Is it normal for employers in Korean to slap their employees though? I don’t know I haven’t seen the episode yet, just read the recap so i’m not sure how the scene is, but from the preview, I just don’t see how the slap would EVER be understandable. I just want to understand the logic behind the slap. I do know that one big part behind it is “drama” and to affect the viewers, but I don’t get it as characters

I am totally with you ockoala .Thanks for your smart recap and answering .
Anyhow I like this drama , I laugh a lot , the actors are improving episode after episode , two male leads gorgeous , I watch it very laid back , it is very pleasant .
About violence , there is a lot of violence in k dramas , as much as in real life .

I entered just to read the controversial thing.. I tried to keep myself spoiler free for this week

not knowing what happened in the last 2 episodes my suspicion is that Kang Woo has an inkling of what MW can or cannot take … more like” is better if I hurt her rather than they do it” and ATM I believe he knows very well that she can twist his fingers one by one and for dinner ******=name ur favorite way of physical torture… maybe he believes that physical pain is better than humiliation

or we believe that Kang Woo is a saint when he isn’t : he can try to protect what he has – a public image with InA as his girlfriend … despite his bumbling personality he ain’t an angel or the knight in shining armor

Even I don’t like violence allow me to disagree with u when it comes about slaps on someones face( again I don’t use it or tasted but violence exist and in kdramas has different meanings)
1)woman +woman = cat-fight and the next step is the hair pulling, more is trying to put the other person into her place, offender tries to humiliate the victim
2)man+man= put the person into his place, in kdramas often sign of seniority at work, humiliation – again offender tries to humiliate the victim
3)woman slapping a guy usually means a5*hole, u cheated on me bastard, this usually happens after the woman was humiliated
4) man against woman… if not a father OMO this could give them 19+ for violence… while the first 3 examples or father hitting kid aren’t that rare in a kdrama … this time they stepped in quicksand no matter the reasons ( for her to understand that Kang Woo isn’t as cute as kittens even he looks so and after all that South Korea is the enemy… or KW tries to get rid of her over his agency… otherwise u can see that he doesn’t decide much of his life … or even better to have Kang Woo in a scandal… as u know if a manager (not even speaking about celebrities) hitting someone… the scandal is HUGE

controversy for this drama won’t be that bad… if I look into the articles … they tried to make some noise about Han Ye Seul… and nobody cared so the next level was a controversy in the drama itself … Controversy means noise about the drama, noise means curiosity therefore some ratings for the drama

Thank for the recap.
I think it was in poor taste to have the slap at the ending but I knew it was coming and don’t really see how anyone could get riled up about it(given their positions and the drama plot), so boop boop…
SMW is total and complete fun for me. I giggle uncontrollably each episode. I don’t even know why. I’ve decided I’m watching this drama purely because I want to. Plus, I need my medicinal Eric drops twice a week(and if needed on the weekends), as prescribed by my dramaptologist.
No, I’m serious that gangsta hoodie robe has me in its palm!

thank you madame K for this recap…and like you said the last scene was very controversial indeed…like you I hate any kind of violence in any form and to any gender BUT the worst for me is when the man does it to a woman or child…regardless if the woman or child deserves it or not… I’ve been wondering why such does happen in Kdramas and I don’t feel comfortable everytime I see it… and I don’t think I will ever get comfy to it at all… I do wish Kdramas would stop doing this… Oh well, there’s one reason why am not loving this drama at all… tsk tsk tsk

Thanks Koala! I’m starting to like and feeling connected to Myung Wol.. she is such a likeable character, clueless and innocent in love which made her scenes with KW entertaining.. and when KW slapped her, I just want to go give her a big hug! =( I don’t really fancy developing angst by slapping.. nevertheless, it was a great epi; counting down to ep 7!

So the writing team says to themselves,
“Then we need a part where KW does something horrible to MW so they can prove to the media that the scandal is made up…Any ideas?”
“How about he yells at her in public and fires her?”
“Do you think that’ll be enough?”
“It works in all the other dramas.”
“With ratings as low as ours?”
“Got it. What about a shower scene?”
“In the lobby?!”
“OK. OK. I guess a wrist grab + kiss is out, too…”
Cold stares.
“How about he slaps her, stabs her, kicks her, and rips her hair out?”
“Too violent!”
“OK. Just slaps her.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would he do that? He is a huge hulking man who plays macho assassin types who fight bad guys, not beautiful, slim, model-looking ladies. He’d just look like an a**hole.”
“Let’s go with it. Next week he can wash her hair in a hot tub and put nail polish on her toes to make up for it. The audience won’t remember the slap.”
“Because they’re stupid?”
“No, but we have Eric.”

Or something…
Point I am trying to make is I promise the repercussions of the slap will take the most 30 seconds in the next episode. It happened quickly, made NO sense, and will quickly be forgotten.
KW will take her aside and apologize and explain he didn’t mean it. He will make it up to her by doing something nice for her parents? I dunno…

Hahaha! That’s probably how it went down in the writing room. (o;
They must have motivation for making him look like a jerk… because it’s pretty low to slap a girl (or anyone), and it doesn’t seem like a normal part of his character.

Wow..the last part of the drama made me jumped in shocked…not a good one, i mean for KW…but for the drama, i think it creates some interest of the viewer to anticipate for the upcoming episodes. Thanks Koala for the recap.
And yeah…Eric is so delicious to watch…. *yummy* and CR… I can’t wait to see him falling for MW.

Even though it’s not the 1st time a guy slaps a gal in K-dramas (All About Eve, Witch Yoo Hee, Que Sera Sera, I Am Sam, Three Brothers…. ), I feel really bad there is a slap at the end of this episode otherwise I would love it so much more. That’s because this is when KW realizes his wrong doing to MW and tries to make up to her by being nice…. which make MW even more confused by his sudden change of behavior LOL

I can’t wait to see what & how KW will make it up to MW in the next episode.

omo, how could he slap her???
yes, in dramaland, i’ve also gotten used to the scenes of woman slapping another woman, man slapping man, woman slapping a man, parents slapping [their] children… but, how could the leading man slap the leading woman so hard in this one? i haven’t watched the raw, but just reading it, i don’t think i can forgive him.
aish.

hmmmm… okay this episode kinda rocks until the slapping incident. that was something unpleasant for me to watch (well, even to read). tho, as what you said, we should look at it in the context of a drama. so maybe Kang Woo had an ulterior motive for publicly showing this.

forgot to mention, I love to see the MW & CR shedding off their coldness and warming up with more emotion in this episode….. MW cries this time when she watches Mata Hari compared to the beginning of her mission when she didn’t even move a muscle while watching the heart wrenching scene in So Ji-sub’s MiSa.

Thank you for the recap …I was anticipated on Eric ‘s drama comeback – and i am not disappointed . Eric Mun delivered . My last favorite was ” Que Sera Sera ” . My goodness , i don’t know how many times I repeated the part where MW spit water in KW’s face , it was hilarious . Looking forward for your next dissect for up and coming episodes – I’ve enjoy reading your columns . Thanks

Thanks for the recap!!! i loved this ep except of course for the last part…

am i the only one thinking that maybe, just maybe, this is a scene that went on MW or KW’s head? just imagining how bad or good things will work out?

then again…it was ‘out of the ordinary’ to slap someone just like that in public!
i know we all think that KW was just ‘protecting’ her from the fangirls and for his image not to be tarnished at this stage, but that was way ‘below the belt’!
it would have been enough to just fire her, why must he show physical brutality??? if i was his fan, i would definitely make a step back and wonder why i even liked this guy in the first place…
oh wells…let’s just hope this was only a ‘bad dream’….

omo! what has gotten to his head? whether he’s just trying to protect MW or doing some damage control measure, it’s still a huge slap. He could have just shouted and said nasty things then fired her. but giving her a huge slap is too much. i know emotional pain is much too much to bear than physical pain but that slap in public entails both emotional and physical pain. gah!

allenif, my chingu, I’m very very grossed out by that last scene. Urgh. Spoilt the whole ep for me. What are they going to have him do next? Apologise? He did it probably to protect her, but still, a slap!!!!! I froze when I saw the preview yesterday, and was hoping it’d not be a real slap….dunno, just hoping for something, anything but a slap. So when it really happened, I was just so flabbergasted. It’s worse cos she DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG AT ALL!!!! In other dramas like All About Eve and Queen of the Game, the girl literally invites the slap by saying horrible, horrible things, and when the guy slaps her after much restraint, she soaks it all in, like she’s relishing the punishment. Meaning the girl WANTS to be slapped. But this scenario is totally different. She’s innocent; she walks into the crowd, and he walks up and WHAM! whacks her across the cheek. OMG. I’m still reeling from the shock. How are they going to explain their way out of this?

Ms Koala, I agree with you on a few things. 1. It is so delicious looking at Eric, I like staring at him. 2. Very controversial indeed BUT a double edged sword.
First, I think the slap was planned and probably agreed on by both KG & MW to aid in scandal control. Second, violence to anyone is wrong but that women get away with it because they are women is so very wrong.
Still enjoying this drama but I read they are changing writers so I don’t understand what is wrong with it.

yeah! im just hoping that its all in the head. But it could be that, Kang Woo does that so that he will get jeered by his fans or even In Ah and her grandad(because he is deemed violent). And then, Kang Woo can have his focus on Myung Wol! But of course, with the slap, he would have to try to ‘win’ Myung Wol at a slightly harder rate. To which, Myung Wol then learns the meaning of push and pull of a relationship … ;0)